


Intrigued

by imaweirdgirl1



Category: Disney RPF, High School Musical RPF
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 02:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15720195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaweirdgirl1/pseuds/imaweirdgirl1
Summary: They're just really something aren't they? AU





	Intrigued

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So it's been a while since I've published a story online and I've worked really hard on this one. I've been meaning to write this story for a long time, the last story that I wrote and published online was like maybe 8 or 10 years ago? lol I was still working on my writing skills back then and according to my friends, whom I'm very grateful for their time to be my beta readers for this one, said that it's worthy to be shared (Yay!). I really hope you guys will enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't even know if I should continue this or leave it as a one-shot perhaps? But either way, Please do leave your reviews! I need to know how far I've come as an amateur writer and what are the things that I still need to improve on. Maybe I'll be able to make some sort of series for this IF you'd like so that's pretty much it. Sorry for this long rant lol Again, please leave your reviews and tell me what you think, yeah? Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. This one is dedicated to all Lashley shippers out there who I think some have grown out of them or are just on hiatus. I've loved this couple since the beginning and I still love their chemistry. Also the fact that there aren't enough Lashley fics so I'm adding the numbers slowly. ;)

At 40 east end avenue, a party is brewing on the 21st floor. Zac Efron just turned 26 and him along with all his friends are celebrating his day of birth. The party commenced at around 8pm and it quickly gained momentum the more people came knocking on Zac's door, among of which was Ashley Tisdale. She was wearing a black skirt, stilettoes, topped with a black blazer and a white shirt underneath. Just by hearing the music emitting from the door, she could tell that a lot of people have already arrived. Ashley debated whether to knock or burst through the door, after all she didn't think that Zac would mind. He would of probably be preoccupied by his workmates with a game of beer pong or whatever it is that boys still played in an alcohol-induced party.

Ashley shook her head at that thought and went right ahead on opening the door. As she did so, her eyes scanned the room. People were dancing to the music, some were on the couch talking, others were making out, and then her eyes landed on a crowd in what seemed like they were gathered at a table. As she walked over, she could hear cheering and jeering of some sort. Once she was near enough to get an appropriate view of the shenanigans, she spotted Chris Warren Jr. taking a shot. He smacked the glass on the table and shouted "Woo!" and the crowd reciprocated his action. "Come on Ryne, is that all you got?" Chris taunted to his opponent that was adjacent to where he was. "I'm just getting started, man" Ryne replied.

Ashley couldn't help but roll her eyes at them. _Boys_ , she thought. She quickly turned around and scanned the room again, spotting the bar, she didn't hesitate on walking towards it. "Got anything good in there?" she asked the person that was currently serving the drinks. The man turned around and gave her his dashing grin "Depends on how good you want it to be". Ashley smirked at his remark "Good enough to make me forget about my crappy day at work?" she replied. The man chuckled "Beer it is then" he said as he got out a bottle of beer and took the cap off for Ashley. "Here you go, beautiful" he put the drink in front of her. Ashley took the cold beer and said "What's new?" she teased as she took a swig of her drink, then the liquid slowly ran down her throat that satisfied her thirst.

The man spread his arms on the counter top and replied "If this is how you look from a crappy day at work, God knows what you look like on a normal day" "Okay, what is up with you and why are you sucking up to me?" Ashley said and put her bottle down. She crossed her arms on the table and continued "What are you trying to get, Corbin?" She raised her eyebrow. Corbin shrugged and smiled innocently "Just complimenting you is all. We haven't seen each other for a while" he said. Ashley beamed a smile at him "You can just say you missed me" she took another swig of her beer. "Actually if I missed you, I would've insulted you" He joked. Ashley pretended to think and said "True" she laughed.

Suddenly someone came to her side and asked "Got another one?" Corbin nodded, got out a case of beer and gave it to the person that requested it "Go crazy, my man" The person unbeknownst to Ashley, thanked Corbin and took off. "Did Zac invited his entire office? It's starting to look like a rave in here" she asked. Corbin threw a rag over his shoulder and leaned over to her. With his eyes roaming around the room, he replied "Actually, he just invited his friends from work but then his friends also invited their friends and so on and so forth and then here we are" he chuckled.

Ashley sighed and turned her seat around to see the view for herself as well. She put her elbows on the counter behind her. "I didn't want to come but since I don't have a gift for Zac, I thought I just showed up to honor him with my presence" She joked. Corbin smiled at what she said and stood up straight "Miss you too, blondie" he told her. Ashley turned her head to face him and gave a warm smile "It has been a while, has it?" she said and faced the crowd again. Moments later, Vanessa Hudgens came up to them "Hey guys! Thank God you're here. I didn't know if I could take another second faking a smile to these people" she groaned. As she arrived, she turned to Ashley and hugged her "Ash, I missed you!" Ashley put her arms around Vanessa and replied "Me too, it's been a dreadful week" they pulled away from the hug. Corbin shook his head "You haven't seen each other for a week and act as if it's been a year" he said to them. "Girls" he scoffed.

The girls ignored him and continued with their conversation "Have you seen Zac yet?" Vanessa asked. "No, do you know where he is?" Ashley replied. Vanessa squinted her eyes a bit, attempting to look for the birthday celebrant. Her eyes then lit up "oh, there he is" she pointed to where Zac was. He was talking to a guy who had messy blonde hair and for some reason, Ashley noticed his eyes were blue. She smiled upon noticing that detail. He was wearing a grey long sleeve shirt that rolled up to his elbows. His smile was infatuating and Ashley couldn't help but smile at that too. As she was still looking to where Zac was, she asked Vanessa "Who's that guy he's talking to?" she pointed to where they were. "I don't know. I haven't seen him before" As Vanessa turned to Corbin and ask for some refreshment, Ashley continued admiring the person that Zac put his attention to. He was cool, calm, and collected, as he responded accordingly to whatever Zac was talking about. He held a beer on his right hand while his left was dipped in his pocket. The mystery blonde then took a swig of his drink and his eyes roamed to the surroundings then landed to Ashley. As they held onto each other's gaze, Ashley gave him a flirtatious smile to which the blonde softly smiled back.

It's not the first time that Ashley flirted with a guy like him. It was a signal to say Come on over here, and the guys would immediately fall for her spell. So she likes having casual hook ups? Big deal. She's just having fun. Besides, she would come prepared anyways. Come by morning, she would sneak out of bed to leave the stranger and never see them again. So far, she hasn't encountered with any of them yet. Well actually, she hopes to never see them again. It's the basic rule to casual hook ups: Have fun, go crazy, leave, and never call—like ever. But this mystery person was unusual, unusually sexy if Ashley can say so herself. He smiled back but not in a way that she'd think. He was just serene, like he was playing hard to get. _Oh so that's how it is then_ she thought to herself while taking a sip of her beer.

Although, it didn't really felt and looked like it. He was just being nice. He was completely calm. Shit, did that turned her on more. There was something about his tranquility that drove her insane. Which is saying something since she never thought she would be attracted to someone so pure. It bore the crap out of her. Yet, there he is, standing across the room, with his soft smile and stillness. Ashley was loving the view. She bit her lower lip like a hungry predator stalking its prey. What is it with him that made her feel this way? It was frustrating but she didn't mind.

At around 11:20pm, the party died down. People were slowly leaving one by one until the only ones left were Ashley, Vanessa, Corbin, some of Zac's neighbors, and the mystery blonde. Ashley sat on the couch with Vanessa as they chatted the night away. They've been friends since college and have been inseparable. They took jobs within the city and even though they weren't that far from each other, their schedules would contradict at times. As much as possible, they took every opportunity that came to see each other so it was nice to finally catch up.

"We've been trying to get more information about the case but due to strict policies of the company, we're stumped" Vanessa said as she was referring to an issue about an organization that is allegedly adding a dangerous substance into one of their products. She was a writer in one of New York's most trusted media. It was her job to chase out on an issue that would catch the world's attention in which that needed to be taken seriously. This was her passion. It made Ashley admire her more and more every day. She rested her head on her elbow that was propped on the couch and said "I'm sure you can find a loophole in there somewhere, V. I know you enough to predict that you'd get what you want eventually" she winked. Vanessa just laughed "Thanks Ash. Although sometimes chasing stories tire me out, I'm just glad to have been out of the office for a while or I would've been a total hermit in there" she shudders at that thought. The two of them giggle.

Corbin came by and sat between the two. "Mind if cut in, ladies?" he said. Vanessa put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I missed you corbs, I miss hanging out with you guys" she pouts. Corbin put his arm around her as well. "You guys have been so busy conquering the world, I wasn't even sure you'd have time to see me" he said. Ashley just smiled at her friends. She missed them so much that they'd only meet occasionally, so this was a wonderful sight. Seconds later, Zac arrives. He sits across them and said "I thought this was my birthday? Why is Corbin getting all the pretty girls?" he joked. "Happy Birthday Zac" Ashley greeted and kissed him on the cheek. Zac smiled back "Thanks Ash. I'm sorry I couldn't hang with you earlier on. I was catching up with some high school friends" he said.

"Are you talking about that guy that you were talking to all night? The guy in a grey shirt?" Vanessa asked. Zac nods "Yeah, his name's Lucas. His work got moved here in New York so when I found out, I invited him over" He leaned back on the couch. "You guys want to chill more for a bit? I just got the balcony refurnished last week, it's amazing" He stated. Vanessa sat up straight "Sure that sounds good. You guys up for it?" she turned to Ashley and Corbin. "I'm in" Ashley said. "Cool. Let me just go get some snacks, I'll catch up" Zac said while getting up and the rest of his friends went over to the balcony.

The balcony had an incredible view of the city. The city lights were twinkling and the cool air breeze was comforting. There were some lounge chairs that surrounded a metal fire pit. As Corbin and Vanessa made themselves comfortable on the chairs, Ashley walked over to the railings and took in the view. She loves looking over the city. The city that never sleeps certainly was a grand sight for the eyes. Then she noticed something out on the corner of her eyes, on her left, there was someone that was admiring the view as well. They had their arms on the railings, she could barely tell who it was as the lights on the balcony weren't enough to reach the person. Only his shadow was visible to her.

Just then Zac came over holding some booze and snacks "I've got some marshmallows so we can try out the fire pit" he grinned. "Sweet! Give me some" Corbin said as he went over to Zac. "Hey Luc, come and join us." Zac said to the person on Ashley's left. Lucas turned around and came over. The lights finally revealed his face. He certainly did have blonde hair, it was messy but he was pulling it off. Ashley looked at him and smiled "So you're Lucas" she said. She walked over to him and got her hand out "I'm Ashley" she said with a tone that wasn't too flirty but just enough to show that she was interested in him. Lucas gave her his charming smile and shook her hand "Lucas" he said. Ashley could've sworn that an electricity ran through her entire body as they touched and so did Lucas yet it didn't seem obvious.

"Luc, these are my friends. This is Corbin, Vanessa, and Ashley. She wants to sleep with you" Zac said pointing at Ashley and laughed. As all of them sat around the fire pit, Ashley countered back to Zac "Can you blame me?" she winked. Lucas sat down on a couch and laughed at the both of them. He leaned back "I wouldn't mind" he said calmly with a bit of a flirty tone. He looked at Ashley and winked. Ashley couldn't help but giggle whilst biting down on her lip. "I'd be careful if I were you, man. This one isn't exactly a keeper" Corbin chuckled and Ashley just rolled her eyes. A few minutes later, Vanessa broke the silence with "So Lucas, how did you end up here in New York?"

"Well I work with my sister. She's a clothing designer in this start-up company and we've just been travelling around doing marketing for it. At times we also look for models and such. But mostly I'm just the photographer." He explains. Vanessa, Ashley, and Corbin all nod in amusement. "Cool. How long will you be in town?" Vanessa presses on. Lucas took a swig of his beer and positioned the bottle between his palms whilst kneading it. "For a month or so, depends really" He replied. On the other side, Ashley listened intently to his words. There was definitely something about him that caught her attention, she just doesn't know what.

All night, they've been sharing stories, catching up with each other, and Ashley, Vanessa, and Corbin got to know Lucas more. Turns out, he and Zac are very close since high school. Come by college, they went on pursuing the paths they wanted to take. Zac continued on with his scholarship in basketball which ultimately landed him a job at a sports magazine—he didn't mind. Lucas on the other hand, pursued Photography. Which was unexpected as he was actually good in baseball, people thought he would go with that.

However, Zac, who knew Lucas more than anyone, knew that his best friend had a knack for photography. In high school, Zac would often see Lucas taking photos of random people and things. He would collect most of it and put it on his wall in the garage of their house. It was like a mini museum of his own. Only a few people know about that place.

Lucas also got to know Zac's friends as well. He met all of them in college. Corbin, which he met during freshmen year, pursued literature. He was now teaching English in NYU. Vanessa, which he first noticed during the freshmen orientation but officially met her in one of his classes at the beginning of sophomore year, is actually an ex of his. They broke up after dating for a couple of months due to conflicts but they still stayed good friends. Although from the way Zac looks at her, Lucas doubts he is over her.

And then there's Ashley. An enigma to him that seemed to consume Lucas' thoughts from the moment he laid his eyes on her. She and Zac met around sophomore year at a party in which they hooked up. But neither of them knew who it was as they were both drunk. It was only a few days after that night that they met through Vanessa. Around that time, Zac and Vanessa have already broken up and they were already very good friends so she held no grudge for her friends. Besides, from the way Ashley described it _"I thought I was making out with a dog"_. Ashley now works at a cosmetics company in which she is the head of marketing.

Throughout the night, every now and then, Lucas would steal a glance at her. He would smile at her for no particular reason and if she looked his way, she would smile back.

Eventually, they all had to go home. Zac thanked all of them for the time and then they were off. On the way to the elevator, Vanessa took Ashley to her side and whispered "Looks like you and Lucas are hitting it off pretty well" she winked. Ashley giggled at her remark. She looked back to the boys where they were still talking to each other and turned to Vanessa. "He's something isn't he?" she smirked then they both rode the elevators. Before it completely closed however, Corbin pulled the doors open "Wait up" he says as he and Lucas walked in.

As they descended on the ground floor, Vanessa and Corbin went separate ways, leaving Ashley and Lucas alone. "Which way are you taking?" Lucas asked. "This way. You?" A smile formed on his face and said "I guess you really are stuck with me" To which Ashley replied "I wouldn't mind" she smirked.

It was a quite walk but neither felt awkward at all. The streets were quiet as the neighborhood was still in deep sleep. Finally, they made it to Ashley's apartment. "This is me" she says as Lucas looked at the building. It was neat and certainly didn't look cheap. It was decent enough for someone like Ashley to live in—Prestigious and classy. "Thanks for the company" she says. Lucas smiles at her "No problem" he shifted on his weight a bit before adding "It was really nice meeting you, Ash" She couldn't help but smile. They looked at each other as if stuck in a daze. Ashley bit her lip and kissed Lucas on the cheek. "I'm glad you did" she says softly.

She struts subtly into her building and she could feel his eyes on her that sent shivers down her spine. Not the kind that creeped her out though. Actually, she didn't mind. As she disappeared in Lucas' sights, he let out a breath as if he held it in while she walked away. There was definitely about her that Lucas found intriguing. He didn't know what it was but he wanted to see her again. He **needed** to see her again.

* * *

 

In the conference room of Illuminate Cosmetics, the marketing team were going through some of the final products that will soon be released to the public. It included lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, foundation, skin cleansers and body lotions. They were still working on hairstyling products such as shampoo and conditioner but they were still being tested. Ashley took hold of a foundation and examined its traits. It was under the neutral color that most of their customers chose. She made sure that the container didn't gauge the color impact on the skin.

She put the foundation down and started "In months' time, these need to be on display all over the city before Lauder beat us to it". One of her associates, who had their eyes glued to her laptop, spoke, with her focus still unturned "I think we need to outsmart them. There's been rumors going around that they've hired a celebrity as their ambassador" The guy sitting next to Ashley spoke up as well "I heard that too, but I doubt they could get them by next month. They've got a deadline to catch up and if they do want to pursue having a celebrity ambassador, it's highly likely that they're going to have to adjust with the artist's schedule." He says firmly to his associates.

Ashley leaned back on her chair with her arms crossed on her chest "They could still overthrow us with that move though" she sighs. She faces the girl who was sitting in front of her and said "How's our status going, Lea?" Lea was fidgeting something on her iPad before she replied "It's going great, for the past few weeks, people have been responding positively on our teasers for the new products" she smiles triumphantly. Austin, the guy sitting next to Ashley, leaned on the table as if emphasizing the imperativeness in his tone "We don't necessarily need a celebrity to be our ambassador. We just have to think of a creative way to advertise it. Like, turn it into a trend or something" he says as he leans back on his chair "Look at Old Spice, their sales sky rocketed as soon as someone turned their ad into a funny remix. And the guy on there wasn't even that good, he just looked good" he finishes as he closes a button on his coat.

"So we just need to find a pretty model and turn our ad into a witty joke?" Samantha, who sat next to Lea, finally spoke up. Ashley then replied "That won't be necessary." Austin looked at his watch to check the time, it was already noon which meant that they've been in the room for almost half a day. "I think we should call it a day. Lunch anyone?" He stands up to gather his things and so did everyone else in the room.

Ashley, Lea, and Samantha all went to eat at a burger place across from their office. As they sat down, Lea and Samantha went on about what they did over the weekend, some things that were related to work, mostly just catching up with one another. However, Ashley's mind wandered someplace else, or in this case, someone. She ate her lunch gingerly as if she didn't have the appetite. All she could think about for the moment were those blue ocean eyes that sent butterflies in her stomach. She smiled as she remembered how Lucas smiled at her every chance he got when they were at Zac's. _What is it about him that made me feel this way?_ She contemplates _._

Her two friends noticed the smile that formed on her face and looked at each other. Something was going on with her and they needed to know. "Ashley?" Samantha calls her but she was still smiling to herself. "Ashley!" Samantha calls again, this time the blonde that almost threw her lunch because of her friend's voice, responded. "Yes, what? I'm right here you know" Ashley says. "You've been acting a bit strange lately, are you okay?" Lea asks. Ashley giggles a bit then replied "Of course I am" she bites down on her salad. Lea and Samantha looked at each other once again as if saying _Doubt it_ , but they shrugged it off and continued with their conversation and lunch.

By 7:10pm, Lucas just came home, exhausted from work. He changed into his sweat pants without a shirt on and sat on the couch. He's thinking twice about turning on the TV or just lay back to relax. Just then, Felix, a grey British Shorthair cat, jumped and nestled onto his lap. He chuckles at his feline best friend as he caresses his furry head. "Hey buddy, miss me?" Felix just closed his eyes whilst waving his tail carefully. Lucas looked out the window and admired the view from his apartment. At times like this, he would just observe the city from his 18th floor room to help him relax. He sighs as he laid back his head and closed his eyes. Then the first thing he saw was Ashley's face. Her smile, her laugh, and the way she flirted at him-he assumes, and the way her lips felt on his skin. Lucas opened his eyes slowly and smiled. He put his hand behind his head to act as a pillow and reminisced the night at Zac's.

It was great seeing his best friend since high school again whom haven't changed a bit. When he found out that Zac was in New York, he took the opportunity to hit him up and catch up. He expected parties, booze, and maybe even some cute girls along the way as he would imagine spending some time with Zac once again, yet he didn't expect to meet Ashley. Cliché as it may sound, his heart started pounding as he resumed his thoughts of her. There was something about her that made him hold his breath. The night they walked home together, he badly wanted to run his fingers through her beautiful short blonde hair, pull her close and just hold her.

"Ashley" he says still smiling. Felix meowed and opened his eyes to look at his owner who was smiling to himself. Lucas looked down to Felix and said "I think you'd like her too" Felix sat up and squinted his eyes. Lucas scratched on his head gently and sighs. "What should I do?" he asked as if expecting the cat to give him some enlightenment. Instead, Felix just meowed.

* * *

 

A week later, Ashley comes out of her yoga class. She put her ear pods on and started walking towards a coffee shop. As she came nearer towards the caffeine aroma, she spots someone familiar out of the corner of her eye. She slowed down her pace and tried to register who it was. The person was trying to get something underneath a car, as they got down on the ground he finally pulled it out—a cat. Ashley raised her eyebrows and walked towards the person. "Playing hide and seek?" She says as she came up behind the person.

Lucas turned around and laughed. "No, uhm. Actually, I was just making sure this little dude didn't do anything stupid" he glares at the cat "Again" he said for emphasis. Felix just settled onto Lucas' arm and made a noise that seemed to indicate he was annoyed. Lucas shook his head then turned back to Ashley. She wore a black sports bra and a pink yoga pants, and held a blue mat under her left arm. "Yoga?" Lucas says pointing to the mat. Ashley nodded "Just trying to get some peace of mind" she smiles "Work's been hectic". The blonde in front of her nodded as if saying _that explains it._

Subtly, Lucas couldn't help but look at her. Shit, some of the sweat glistened on her stomach that exposed how toned she was. If this were a cartoon, Lucas would've been noticeably bawling. Still he played it cool and said "So where are you off to now?" Ashley pointed to the coffee shop "Another way to get some peace of mind" she giggled. "You want to tag along?" She asked while her eyes pleaded for him to come. Ashley also noticed what he was wearing, just a simple sweat pants and no shirt. She had a very huge urge to cling herself to him and give a mind blowing kiss. _I bet he's good at that_ she smiles at that thought.

Lucas looked over to the shop and his face lit up "You know what, I actually know the owner there." He smiles at her "I could give you a discount" he winks at her. She laughs and replies "More reason for you to accompany me, then" she held out her hand for him to take. Lucas looks at himself and points at what he's wearing "I think I should put on something decent first" Ashley smirks "I don't mind the view" she says in a tone hinting she's flirting. Lucas smirks at her remark. He looks around and spots a hoodie being left out to dry. Fortunately, it was arid enough to wear. He took the hoodie and went towards the door to open it and let Felix in "I'll be back, don't go scratching the neighbor's clothes again" Lucas warns his feline friend. He puts on the hoodie and faces Ashley "Let's go" He grins.

Ashley couldn't help but laugh at his antics "Is that even yours?" she asks as they start walking towards the coffee shop. "I promise I'll return it later" he assures her and they both smile. Once they both had their respective drinks—Cappuccino for Lucas and Macchiato for Ashley, Lucas invited her over at his place to hang for a bit. They talked for about 3 hours and watched a movie at around 7'o clock that evening. They made themselves comfortable on the couch and discreetly unbeknownst to either of them, Ashley rested her head on Lucas' chest whilst he wrapped his arm around her.

By the time the movie ended, Lucas noticed their position and grinned. As the credits rolled whilst the bloopers was playing, he rested his head on hers and he felt Ashley sigh in contentment against his chest. She smiles at their situation and honestly doesn't want this moment to end. Ashley had her legs curled up to her side and felt something furry. Moments later, Felix jumped out of nowhere and rested on Lucas' lap. He chuckles a bit and scratches the feline's head.

"Can I pet him?" she asks. "Sure" Lucas replied. Ashley put her hand on Felix's head and gave him a small massage all the way on his back. Felix squinted his eyes and laid down on his owner's lap. Ashley grins and turns to Lucas "I didn't know you were a cat person" she says. Lucas put his hand behind his head and replied "I didn't know I wanted one but when I left for work, my Mom gave him to me when he was still a kitten." He smiles at the thought of his mother's face when she gave Lucas a small grey kitten as a going away present.

"She said he'd keep me company at times I'd feel lonely. And she was right" he smiles at her. Ashley smiles back and continued "What's his name, by the way?" "Felix" Then the grey British shorthair meowed almost right away as well. They both laughed and continued to pet him. "Why Felix?" she asks again as she rested her head on his shoulder. Lucas thought for a moment "I guess because he sort of looked like one" Ashley hums and nods.

Lucas turns to her and admires her features. She had brown eyes that complimented her tanned skin and her lips still shined from some sort of lipstick he presumes. He looked down on her lips and resisted the urge to kiss her right there and then. Ashley felt his eyes on her and she turns to meet his gaze. Felix quickly jumped out of Lucas' lap as the two continued to look at each other. Their foreheads touched and their lips were centimeters apart. Ashley runs her fore finger on his lips down to his chin and whispers softly "You really are something" she smiles coyly. Lucas lets out a small laugh as their noses touched until finally his lips met hers. Instinctively, Ashley put her hand behind his head as she deepens the kiss further. Lucas slowly wrapped both of his arms around her waist as she willingly sat on his lap. They continued to kiss and Ashley moans. She arches her back and felt him almost getting hard underneath. She smiles through the kiss and felt his hands underneath her shirt (which Lucas gave her one of his when they got into his apartment to hang out). They break the kiss as Ashley took off the shirt and pressed her lips to his. Lucas groans as she bit his lip teasingly. He was already hard as he felt her thighs pressed onto him. She giggled as she felt him hard underneath. Lucas breaks from the kiss and quickly but casually took the hoodie off forgetting to realize that he still had to return it to the owner. But right now all he could think about was Ashley. The kiss grew more passionately as their tongues played.

Ashley could feel herself getting wet by the second, especially since Lucas lips moved down to her neck and kissed her bare shoulder. She tilted her head to give him room and felt his lips running down her neck. She pressed herself underneath him and they both moaned as they felt the need for each other. "Lucas.." she moans. He turned to look at her and put a hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. "Room. Now" she commands. Lucas lifted her up and walked to his bedroom. He put her down gently on his bed and continued to make out. He put a hand on her waist and carefully pulled down her yoga pants.

It wasn't long before Ashley was now only wearing her sports bra and underwear. She breaks the kiss once again to look at him and took off his sweat pants. As soon as Lucas kicked it to the floor they kissed again hungrily. He pressed his body on her and now he really needed her. Ashley wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her very wet spot onto him. Lucas lets a moan as he felt her insides getting wet "Ash.." he pleaded. He put his hand on the waistband of her underwear and slid it down to her feet. He pressed his lips on hers and his hand found the hook of her bra and quickly took it off. They break the kiss as to catch some air, their chest heaving heavily. Lucas admired her fully exposed body yet still chose to look her in the eyes.

Ashley has gotten used to guys staring at her nakedness that she was taken aback at how Lucas looked at her. She smiles coyly at him "I don't mind you staring" she giggles. Lucas laughs and pecks her lips. "Are you sure about this?" he asks. Ashley once again, taken aback by his actions, was in awe. She didn't know what to respond. Well, of course she wants this! She wants him! But why is it that she can't respond. "Don't you?" she asks instead. Lucas smirks and kisses her neck then her lips. "I don't want you to think that this is all I want from you" he whispers softly. They continued to look at each other. Ashley smiles sweetly at him as she ran her arms on his shoulders to his neck. She pulls him down to her and kisses him deeply.

"You can tell me the rest of what you want in the morning but right now, I just really need you" she said the last part seductively and that was enough for Lucas to kiss her again. Ashley found the waistband of his boxers and quickly took it off of him. Her eyes grew wide and couldn't deny that she blushed. Lucas smirks at her reaction "I may or may not hold back" he teases. She looks at him coyly and replied "Then don't". Lucas positioned himself on top of her and pecked her lips before slowly thrusting himself inside of her. He moans as he felt her walls tighten around him and her wetness. She gasps as he started to thrust faster. "Lucas, please" she begs.

Lucas steadied the pace at first but quickened by the next second "Shit, Ash. You're so wet" She dug her nails on his back and continues to moan. "Please. Oh shit, Lucas" she breathes out. "This feels so good" she says. She arched her back so he could slip his way in more in her and Lucas groans. "Ash, I think I'm going to.." "Faster!" she pleaded. Soon they both reached the climax. Ashley gasps and Lucas moans "Shit!" he says. He collapsed to her side and they're both breathing heavily. Lucas moves the blanket over their bodies as Ashley snuggled closer to him. She rested her head between his neck and shoulder, slowly catching her breath. He wrapped his arm around her as he too tried to catch some air.

Ashley looks up at him and kisses him on his cheek lovingly "This isn't all that I want from you either" she says. "But you have no idea how much I wanted to do that ever since I met you" Lucas laughs and turns to his side to face her. She ran her fingers through his messy hair and smiles "Thank you" she says. Lucas smiles as he wraps his arm over her waist to pull her closer to him. "For being amazing?" he jokes. She laughs but her face became serious as she replied "For being careful with me" He pulls her closer to his face and they kissed passionately. He pulls away and says to her "You really are something, too" She smiles and tucks her head in the curve of his neck.

Come by morning, Ashley wakes up by something that was dragging her blanket down. She turns to see the cause of her curiosity and sighs as it was only Felix playing on a loose thread of the blanket. She turns to her side and sees Lucas still sound asleep. She smiles as she admired his sleeping figure. His arm was still around her waist and his breathing was serene and calm. Behind her, Felix meows as if he was asking for something. Slowly, she tries to get out of bed, making sure Lucas doesn't wake up but he stops her by tightening his grip around her waist. With eyes still closed he says "Please don't leave" he mumbles to his pillow. Ashley laughs and kisses him on the cheek. "I have work" she whispers. Lucas slowly opened his eyes, his face pleading like a little boy "What about me?" he asks with his husky morning voice. She sat up and played with his hair "Lunch later, then?" He thinks for a moment as he closed his eyes once again and nods in agreement. Ashley couldn't help but laugh at this sight. Last night he was so seductively turning her on and right now he's pleading her to stay like a little boy. She laid back down to his side, put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him lovingly. "Call me" she whispers and gets out of bed.

She grabbed her clothes to put it on and typed her number on his phone. She turns to look at Felix and smiles "Bye Felix" she pats him on his soft furry head. She gave Lucas one more kiss and started to leave as a smile formed on Lucas' face.

* * *

 

2 weeks in and Lucas and Ashley have been seeing each other every chance that they get. Unlike some couples, they understood each other's priorities. Ashley was running around like crazy in her office especially now that Illuminate Cosmetics is about to launch their newest products. There is no moment where her phone won't ring incessantly. It's driving her nuts yet she still loves her work. Some would call it busy but she calls it productivity. Honestly it's better than sitting on the couch wasting the day away. Lucas, on the other hand, have also been preoccupied with work. You'd think photography is just having a camera to hold, take some pictures here and there, but no, it's a lot more than the stereotypical photographer that most people would conclude.

He's the one that thinks of all the creative ways to shoot wherein the clothes are emphasized but the models must catch the audience's attention. He's also been exploring new places in the city for a perfect background. His sister has convinced their boss to let him take lead in their upcoming runway show that's going to be shown in about a month or so. He'll be the one making the video teaser, the behind-the-scenes shoots, and all the stuff that needs to be on camera so they can use the material for future references, maybe. Despite their bustling schedules, there's not a moment in a day where they don't think of each other. Ashley would check her phone for any updates from Lucas and she'd smile if he'd send her random updates every now and then.

These updates don't seem annoyingly clingy, if she's being honest. Some days, he only got to text her twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. It's the weekends that they both look forward to. They would be at home, snuggling in each other's arms.

They'd watch movies, even cook just to rid the boredom away; at some point, Lucas found himself helping Ashley sort out her closet for reasons he didn't know. What he did know is that Ashley's closet, as it turns out, looked like a mini mall. Half of it were clothes, the other were shoes, and the rest were clothes she didn't know she had until it was found. Some days, they would relax on his couch just talking. They would each tell the other the events that happened at their respective work and end their day smothering each other with kisses that leads to them basking in the glow of their love making.

Ashley has never had a relationship like she has with Lucas now. The longest she's ever been with a guy was for almost a month. She forgot his name though, however it was never anything serious. It was just one of her casual hook ups. The guy was nice but she never had any feelings towards him and neither did the guy. Eventually they ended it, they even stayed friends. Although Lucas, has had about 3 serious relationships, the first one lasting a year as it was during high school but the girl had to move out of town. He had the urge to convince her to stay but not enough to say and try a long distance relationship, they were still so young. The second one unfortunately, cheated on him. The moment he found out and confirmed her affairs, he ended it immediately without any second thoughts. They only lasted for 9 months. The third one, tried as he could, didn't have any romantic feelings for the girl. They were only set up by a common friend and well, you know, he thought maybe it could work but he never truly loved her.

Now he was with Ashley, something he never expected. He had met girls like her before, and not to brag but they've thrown themselves at him yet he never let them get any further intimately. He was happy, so immensely happy and so was Ashley. They could be in each other's embrace and never get sick of it. But as a girl, Ashley had to find out what their relationship really was. Was it just a hook up? Just something that would only last for a couple of months until they start to see someone else? Yes, she was paranoid. Yet Lucas beat her to it.

It was in the middle of July, they've been spending a lot of time together for almost three weeks and Lucas also wanted to make things official between them. It was nothing grand yet for both of them, it was spontaneous. They were laying in Ashley's hammock, to which she bought for days she wanted to read a book or admire the city. She laid her head on his chest, her eyes closed as the cold air touched her skin. Lucas' warmth kept her at ease. He sniffed a bit of her shampoo—Lavender. He intertwined their fingers and whispered "I love you". Ashley opened her eyes instantly and looked at him. Her heart was pounding from the words that came out of his mouth. _Did he just say he loves me?_ Her words stammered a bit "W-What did you just say?" she said hoping it was the exact words that resonated in her ears. Lucas smiled and put his hand on her cheek, caressing it softly. He looked her deeply in her eyes and said with his utmost sincerity and heart "I love you Ashley Tisdale" Ashley smiled so hard her cheeks almost hurt. She laughed and pressed her lips on his. So happy was the blonde in Lucas' arms, she tried to hold back her tears—happy tears.

She looked at him with sparkles in her eyes and sighed happily. Did she mention that she was happy? Because she is over the moon right now. Her forehead rested on his, and ever so softly she whispered "I love you too" A tear rolled down her cheek. "God, I love you so much Lucas Grabeel" He chuckled and pulled her close in his arms. Never have they ever felt so close up until this exact moment. Lucas also shed a tear but Ashley couldn't hold it in any longer. She finally felt what it was like to truly love someone and they love her back the same. She turned to face him and kissed him passionately. They laughed between kisses and just couldn't find the words to express how they're feeling right now except through the kisses they'd lay on each of their lips.

So it was official, they were finally together in which they couldn't wait to tell the whole world about. So physically intimate they were that night, they've worn out their bodies from expressing the love they had for each other. Though, so happy they were that they didn't want the moment to end. They smiled at each other like idiots. "I love you so much" Lucas tells her as slowly the tiredness they felt consumed them.


End file.
